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Lot Essay
The Bluebell Copse, was one of 79 watercolours Helen Allingham exhibited at the Fine Art Society in 1889. The watercolour records an accurate glimpse of a Spring day near the Allingham's Surrey home; with a carpet of bluebells interspersed with anemonies, gorse, hazel copses and young unfurling bracken fronds, all of which can still be seen today.
The plentiful Hazel copses were well-maintained in Allingham's day as they provided a vital livelihood for many local people. In this part of Surrey the hazel wands were cut on a regular basis by hand, packed into bundles and taken from the woods by horse and cart to Cooper's stick factory, a thriving local industry, which supplied walking sticks to shops all over the country.
We are grateful to Annabel Watts for preparing this catalogue entry.
The plentiful Hazel copses were well-maintained in Allingham's day as they provided a vital livelihood for many local people. In this part of Surrey the hazel wands were cut on a regular basis by hand, packed into bundles and taken from the woods by horse and cart to Cooper's stick factory, a thriving local industry, which supplied walking sticks to shops all over the country.
We are grateful to Annabel Watts for preparing this catalogue entry.